A short existential game about alienation and refusal of labour. Or, if you prefer, a playable music video. Created by Molleindustria, an entity that aims to reappropriate video games as a popular form of mass communication. Their objective is to investigate the persuasive potentials of the medium by subverting mainstream video gaming clichè (and possibly have fun in the process).

Thank you to Adam Proctor and Sean James Fraser, as well as the other staff members of Peacock Visual Arts for facilitating and documenting our roundtable discussion on June 13. The following video offers a 14 minute collection of highlights from our hour-long conversation.

This past month a I did a great deal more traveling than usual, but it has come to an end and I’m now back in Winnipeg. Being in Aberdeen was wonderful thanks to the amazing staff at Peacock Visual Arts, and the wonderful artists involved with No Time to Lose.

I spent my last day in Aberdeen wandering around downtown, exploring parts that I’d not had a chance to see earlier. Before embarking on that little expedition, I stopped into the gallery to say “good bye” to the show. In some ways, owing to my geographical distance, it feels like it’s over. The reality, however, is that things are just beginning!!

On Tuesday, July 8, cineclub at Peacock Visual Arts will present four short videos…

Work [Kika Thorne, 1999]

The Measure of Success [Coleen Finlayson & Cherie Moses, 1987]

A Cure for Being Ordinary [Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby, 2005]

Dreams of the Night Cleaners [Leila Sujir, 1996]

From July 22 – 26, Tobaron Waxman will perform his sculptural installation, Block of Ice + 1/60 … more details about that coming soon!

And of course, we have a publication in the works! It’ll be something a little different than a conventional exhibition catalogue because we’re not as keen on having a straight forward document as we are in capturing the effect of the exhibition, including the response and dialogue it helped to generate.

I would love to post photos from the opening reception and panel discussion right now, but unfortunately I have “no time to lose” on a few other obligations. I’m hoping to share images this weekend. And on that note, if you have any that you would like to share, please do! You can email them to the gallery, or post them on Flickr and provide links via the comments section of this blog! We’re all looking forward to sharing a great conversation about the art works included in the exhibition, and the overarching theme of work/life balance.

‘No Time to Lose’ is a response to the systemic decline of personal time being experienced by people in various parts of the world due to increased hours spent working. Through an exhibition and program of events, it draws attention to the unsustainability of social and economic systems that do not afford people sufficient time outside of work. It also addresses the individual and civic costs associated with insufficient time to attend to health, relationships, community, and politics.

‘No Time to Lose’ is envisioned as a contribution to global efforts directed at motivating and mobilizing people to trust their instincts and take back their time. As such, it features artwork that encourages audiences to disengage from their stressful routines and consider what they are losing because of an unbalanced lifestyle. Additionally, projects suggest how individuals might be able to make changes for the better.

‘No Time to Lose’ seeks to facilitate participation for a range of audiences. For example, gallery visitors will have the chance to engage in exploration and conversation, while unsuspecting individuals can experience moments of difference by encountering performance and/or installation-based interventions deployed in public spaces. Audiences from other distant cities will also be able to participate through online forums designed to foster solidarity across geographical borders.

‘No Time to Lose’ offers new and recent work by international artists. Projects involve performance, installation, video, and new media, as well as interdisciplinary and collaborative practices.

With deepest thanks to our supporters: the Scottish Arts Council, the City of Aberdeen, The Henry Moore Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City University of New York, Van Lier Fellowship administered by Harvestworks, and Hangar.org.